Hello,
And welcome to a RADIANT new board year for IIDA! I’m Sondra Jakubowski, your new IIDA Oregon Chapter President for 2025–2026 (and sometimes cruise director for this ship!). I’m excited to help usher this team into a new year with the goal of supporting our incredible community in building great content, events, and programs that make an impact on you — our interior design professionals, emerging professionals, industry members, educators, and students.
For those who joined us at our sold-out Annual Celebration, you know we showed up in style — sequins, glitter, and plenty of gold. But more than attire, RADIANT represents the bright future we’re stepping into together.
Here’s what I’m most excited about in the year ahead:
- Our Team: 32 inspiring, dynamic members from across Oregon — the biggest board we’ve ever had! We even have representation from Bend and Eugene.
- Our Advocacy Efforts: We’re preparing for round two of our bill to recognize Commercial Interior Design in Oregon during the 2026 session. We’re collaborating with AIA, ASID, CIDQ, and IIDA HQ — and we’ll need your help too. Stay tuned!
- Our Mission: This year, we’ve refined our mission statement to reflect our values more inclusively and to position advocacy at the center of what we do. (See below for the latest and greatest )
- Updated Annual Sponsorship Package: We’re refining our approach to better align sponsor dollars with what you value — ensuring your support shows up clearly at our events and through our communications.
- Our Events & Resources: We’re tailoring events to support networking, education, and career growth — plus launching a new website and refreshed graphics in 2026 to make information and advocacy updates more accessible. Check out our full list of events here.
All of this is no small feat. After all, we’re all volunteers, balancing this work alongside our professional lives. Did I also mention I’m a mom of two incredible kids? It’s a lot, but it’s achievable when it’s done as a team.
Speaking of our team, this summer our board gathered and reflected on the values that define us. The most frequently mentioned? Community, Connection, Growth, and Teamwork. Building on those, we drafted our refreshed mission statement:
IIDA Oregon Chapter – Updated Mission Statement
Connecting our design community • Amplifying our impact • Elevating the profession
The IIDA Oregon Chapter strengthens the interior design community by fostering connection, cultivating belonging, and advancing professional recognition and career growth. We champion the vital role of interior design in shaping the built environment and its positive impact on the health, safety, and well-being of individuals and communities.
Community is truly part of our DNA. To build on this, I want to share a quick personal story.
When I was working as a commercial interior designer (let’s say several years ago so I don’t feel too old ), I landed at a firm where I was the only interiors person alongside 40+ architects. Although the team worked well together, I often felt isolated. There was no one to bounce ideas off, no mentor to turn to, and no female leaders to look up to. I felt very alone.
Eventually, I made the difficult decision to leave the A+D side and transition into an industry role — and that’s when I reengaged with IIDA. I started showing up and volunteering again. Almost immediately, I realized that the community I had been craving — the people to ask questions, the leadership to look up to — had been there all along.
For me, IDA became a space for community, not competition. A place to connect, to belong, and to lift each other up. It offers the team, support, and leadership development we don’t always get when we need it most in our careers — and in life. That’s the path of belonging and connection we’re committed to continuing for all of you.
I want to end with a couple well-deserved thank-yous!
- To our current IIDA OR chapter board: thank you for your commitment to improving and impacting this community. You inspire me daily with your incredible talent and big hearts.
- To my team at PacificWRO and MillerKnoll: thank you for your support and for being fierce advocates for both the profession and IIDA.
- And last, but certainly not least, to my family: I could not do this without the support of my amazing husband, Tim Jakubowski, and our rockstar girls, Mara and Ada — for whom I do all of this work.
And thank YOU for being part of this incredible community. We look forward to a year of connection, amplification, and elevation — together!
Sincerely,
Sondra Jakubowski
Chapter President 2025/2026